Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink set and an ink jet recording method using the ink set.
Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an ink jet recording method has enabled the recording of images having high definition and high color developability that are almost equivalent to those achieved by silver halide photography and offset printing. The coloring materials used in inks include dyes and pigments, and the pigments are widely used from the viewpoint of image toughness such as gas resistance, light resistance, and water resistance.
It is generally known that when an ink containing the pigment as the coloring material is used, a formed pigment layer has an uneven surface, and thus the gloss clarity of images deteriorate. When recorded images are carried or are stacked and stored, recording media are rubbed with each other in some cases. The surface of an image may be scratched by comparatively weak force generated in such a case, and the glossiness may be changed. On this account, there is a need to improve abrasion resistance (light abrasion resistance) of images recorded with pigment inks. A recent increase in recording speed is likely to shorten the time from the discharging of a recording medium to the overlapping with another recording medium on a stacking tray of an ink jet recording apparatus. On this account, there is another need to provide an ink enabling the recording of images that have higher abrasion resistance and are unlikely to be scratched even in a condition in which recording media are rubbed with each other immediately after recording.
To satisfy these needs, for example, an ink containing vinyl polymer particles, polyurethane polymer particles, and a water-insoluble organic compound has been disclosed. The ink enables the recording of images having excellent glossiness, gloss clarity, and fixability (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-016075). Separately, an ink containing C.I. Pigment Orange 242, an aqueous medium, a copolymer resin of a hydrophobic monomer and a hydrophilic monomer, and a urethane resin has been disclosed. The ink enables the recording of images that achieve both glossiness and suppression of discoloration after storage at high temperature (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-197141). An ink containing a predetermined resin and a polyether-modified organosiloxane has also been disclosed. The ink enables the recording of images having higher abrasion resistance and higher scratch resistance (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-192964).
The inventors of the present invention have studied the inks containing a urethane resin and the like as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-016075 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-197141 and have found that recorded images have good gloss clarity but insufficient abrasion resistance. The inventors have also studied the ink containing a polyether-modified organosiloxane as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-192964 and have found that the recorded images have abrasion resistance improved to some extent but have insufficient gloss clarity. The inventors have prepared an ink containing a water-soluble urethane resin and a polyether-modified organosiloxane and have studied the effect by combination use of these two components. The result has revealed that the ink enables the recording of images having both good gloss clarity and good abrasion resistance. The result, however, has revealed that when a plurality of inks containing the above two components are used in combination to record images while the inks come in contact with each other or partly overlap with each other, the abrasion resistance is good, but the gloss clarity markedly deteriorate.
An object of the present invention is thus to provide an ink set enabling the recording of images having excellent gloss clarity and abrasion resistance even when a plurality of inks are used in combination. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording method using the ink set.